Up To Speed: JPMorgan, other banks may have been compromised by Russian hackers

Earlier this month, JPMorgan Chase and at least one other bank suffered a security breach in which Russian hackers stole key data, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the matter. Bloomberg reported that people familiar with the probe suspect the cyberattack was sophisticated enough to indicate it was government-sponsored, and that it may have been further retaliation for sanctions the United States and other Western nations imposed on Russia for its moves during the crisis in Ukraine. A JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) spokesperson did not go into any specifics, but did tell Bloomberg that hacking attempts are an everyday occurrence for banks its size, and that the bank makes sure to "constantly monitor fraud levels".

The New York Times also named JPMorgan, but reported that at least four other banks were compromised. In its report, the Times clarified that the hackers were able to grab "checking and savings account information". In addition to the FBI, multiple other firms have begun conducting forensic analyses of the computer networks in question, the report said.

While officials aren't yet describing the hackers' methods, USA Today pointed to one security firm's report from August 21, which indicated that JPMorgan customers were under attack by a sophisticated phishing scheme; it prompted the bank's customers to enter their online credentials to a web page that was hosted in Moscow. It's not clear if that report is related to the latest revelations, USA Today said.

Today in 1957:
"U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond began a filibuster to prevent the Senate from voting on the Civil Rights Act of 1957; he stopped speaking 24 hours and 18 minutes later, the longest filibuster ever conducted by a single Senator." -- Wikipedia